If the secret to Arne Slot’s success in his first Premier League season was evolution from the Jurgen Klopp era, then a revolution at Liverpool looks to be the plan for the title defence.
With canny alterations, smart in-game changes and an incredible individual campaign from Mohamed Salah, Slot exceeded expectations with Liverpool’s Premier League triumph.
Which makes this summer’s overhaul all the more intriguing.
There is a saying that you should strengthen when you’re in front. Don’t admire the view from the top of the mountain, immediately start planning for how you can climb it again – and how to do it better next time.
But few Premier League champions have been reshaped to go again the way this Liverpool side have. Almost £300m has been spent in the window so far.
A potential British transfer record spend on Florian Wirtz is the headline deal of the window and he will play a leading role in attack. But Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez will transform Liverpool’s approach out wide.
There will be knock-on impacts for the centre of defence, Ryan Gravenberch’s role in midfield and Mohamed Salah’s positioning. Hugo Ekitike has the potential to knit it all together.
While there was an acceptance at Anfield the 2024/25 champions needed a refresh, Slot’s season two will see a big shift.
High and wide with Kerkez and Frimpong
Trent Alexander-Arnold’s exit has driven the change. While on the left side, Kerkez looks like the heir to Robertson, reminiscent of the flying Scotsman in his pomp, bombing up and down that flank, overlapping, underlapping, cutting back and crossing, Frimpong is a completely different player to Alexander-Arnold.
Andy Robertson and Milos Kerkez create chances from similar positions
The heatmaps of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jeremie Frimpong show their different roles for Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen
Firstly, Frimpong played in a different position to Alexander-Arnold while he was at Bayer Leverkusen, tasked as a right wing-back to get into the danger zone. While Alexander-Arnold delivered from deep at Anfield, Frimpong was virtually a right winger for Xabi Alonso, taking his team up the pitch with his runs off the ball or through his dribbling with it.
Alexander-Arnold delivers the ball into the box, Frimpong delivers himself into the box.
Expect Kerkez and Frimpong to be high and wide when Liverpool attack.
Wide attackers come inside
With Kerkez and Frimpong darting into those positions, the opportunity will be there for Wirtz, from the left, and Salah from the right, to step inside onto their stronger foot and take aim at goal or pick out a chance-creating pass.
It’s a trademark move from Salah but also one Wirtz caused substantial damage with while at Leverkusen.
Florian Wirtz did much of his work in the attacking left channel last season in the Bundesliga
Florian Wirtz’s stats for Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League
Wirtz’s range of skills – the top dribbler in the Bundesliga recorded double figures for goals and assists but also led the way for high turnovers – makes him an option in a range of positions. But a roaming role from the left was Alonso’s vision for him and could be Slot’s plan, with the futures of Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo uncertain.
Salah was the Premier League player of the year and top scorer last term but as the 33-year-old ages, this is a team that now looks set up to enhance his goal threat over work rate. There were already signs of that shift last season, with Salah revealing Slot had relieved him of many defensive duties. It’s a theme which could now continue.
Ekitike connects it together
The tragic passing of Diogo Jota will be in people’s minds whenever Liverpool’s central attackers are discussed next season. The Portuguese forward played 37 times across all competitions last year.
Ekitike has joined Liverpool from Eintracht Frankfurt and his performances in the Bundesliga suggest he has the attributes to link up the new-look Liverpool when they go forward.
He’s 6ft 3in but more than just a target man. Eager to run the channels or drop into midfield to help build attacks, Ekitike’s movement should provide opportunities for Wirtz and Salah to run in behind him and profit from the space he creates.
Hugo Ekitike’s heat map and shot map for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2024/25 Bundesliga season
The hope for Slot will be he can combine that teamwork with a striker’s selfishness at times and build on his career-best 15 league goals last season. The Bundesliga’s top shot-taker in 2024/25 will carry plenty of threat of his own.
How the midfield can help the defence out of possession
All those attacking ideas will need to be supplemented by smart midfield movement behind.
Gravenberch dropping back between the centre-backs to make a three in the first phase of Liverpool’s build-up play was spotted at times last season while the Dutchman also came across to plug gaps in the right-back area at times.
He is likely to be required to do similar next season, while Liverpool will need to lean on Ibrahima Konate’s ability to look after the right channel and Virgil van Dijk’s experience to marshal all these moving pieces.
Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai will also have key roles, whether they are used as two No8s ahead of Gravenberch or whether one of them drops alongside to form a double pivot. The other will then be tasked with linking up with and running beyond Ekitike as a dynamic No10.
Conor Bradley and Curtis Jones are among a squad of players who will be itching to carve out their own roles, too. With Liverpool aiming to compete across multiple fronts, they will get their opportunities. And further signings could add extra layers to Slot’s gameplan.
But one thing is clear: this Liverpool will look a lot different to last year’s.
